What does it take to forge an elite warrior — and what does neuroscience reveal about that transformation?

U.S. Army Special Forces CPT Benjamin Harrow joins Robert Asencio and Dr. Pamela Seraphine for a conversation that goes beyond the battlefield. Dr. Pamela Seraphine decodes the neuroscience behind CPT Harrow's evolution of excellence — from the mental crucible of Special Forces selection to the leadership wiring built under pressure.This is more than a veteran's story. It's a master class in resilience, identity, and the science of what the human brain does under extraordinary stress.

🧠 In This Episode

- How Special Forces training rewires the brain for sustained high performance

- The neuroscience of identity: Why CPT Harrow's evolution mirrors what Dr. - Seraphine calls "the warrior transformation arc"

- What sacrifice, dedication, and service actually look like at the cellular level

- The leadership lessons that don't show up in a military manual

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 From Hockey to Heroism

02:48 The Journey of a Green Beret

06:06 Overcoming Adversity and Identity

08:52 The Evolution of Excellence

11:51 The Power of Mindset and Resilience

14:47 Building a New Life After Injury

18:04 The Importance of Support Systems

21:00 Patient Zero: A Journey of Recovery

23:55 The Role of Spirituality in Healing

27:00 Teaching the Next Generation

30:10 The Impact of Love and Family

32:49 Conclusion and Reflections

About Ben’s military service:

How The US Special Forces Actually Work | Authorized Account | Insider

https://youtu.be/UNbuDKQTgRg?si=JRW19cFci2lm6BEH

CPT Ben Harrow Final Cut #1million

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYBAorEedlU&t=11s

👥 About Your Hosts:

Robert Asencio — Retired Police Captain, Army Veteran, Former Florida State Representative

Dr. Pamela Seraphine — Neuroscientist & Science Officer, decoding the "why" behind the story

Follow us on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, IHEART @VetsAndBadges

Real Heroes. Real Science.#specialforces

#GreenBeret #VeteranPodcast #CPTBenHarrow #MilitaryMindset #Neuroscience #VetsAndBadges #ArmyVeteran #EliteSoldier #ResilienceUnderFire

🔥 Core: special forces, green beret, army special forces, veteran podcast, military mindset

🎯 Growth: special forces mindset, neuroscience of leadership, elite soldier, military leadership, army veteran story📈 Long-tail: CPT Ben Harrow, evolution of excellence, special forces training, veteran resilience, Dr Pamela Seraphine, Vets and Badges, combat veteran interview, PTSD neuroscience, warrior transformation

Vets and Badges Podcast is an initiative of HEALING - a non-profit created to support veterans, first responder and community stakeholders.

For more visit:

https://www.kbcf.org/programs/healing-corp/

Info@VetsAndBadges.com

www.VetsAndBadges.com

VAB - 2026

Walk for Mental Health Awareness. Fun for all at LoanDepot Park, Miami. Join us May 16, 2026, in the fight break the stigma and help others.

Susan Holton, CEO of NAMI Miami, discusses the event's details, community involvement, and the importance of donations to support mental health initiatives. The dialogue emphasizes the collective effort needed to address mental health challenges and recognizes the unsung heroes in the community who contribute to this cause.

About Vets And Badges Host:

Robert Asencio is a retired police Captain, former Florida State Representative, US Army Veteran who served as a member of the Special Operations community with over 34 years of public service experience.

Vets and Badges Podcast is an initiative of HEALING - a non-profit created to support veterans, first responder and community stakeholders.

For more visit:

https://www.kbcf.org/programs/healing-corp/

Info@VetsAndBadges.com

www.VetsAndBadges.com

VAB - 2026

When a Dog Becomes a Lifeline: A Gulf War Veteran's Incredible Recovery — this is the true story of Allen Parton, a Royal Naval Officer who suffered a catastrophic traumatic brain injury during the 1991 Gulf War that left him unable to walk, speak, or even recognize his own wife and children — and how an unlikely Labrador named Endal gave him back his life, his love, and his reason to live.

In this deeply personal conversation, Allen shares how the TBI stripped him of all four core human emotions — love, hate, happiness, and sadness — and pushed him to the edge of survival twice. Then a dog that was failing his own assistance training walked across a room and placed something in Alan’s lap. What happened next is one of the most remarkable stories of healing, devotion, and the bond between human and animal you will ever hear.

Endal didn’t just assist Allen — he saved him from a hit-and-run accident, became his best man at his remarriage (with special permission from the Queen of England), and over 13 years, taught a man who had lost the ability to feel, how to love again.

Allen Parton is now the founder of Hounds for Heroes, a UK charity providing assistance dogs to injured veterans and frontline responders — turning his personal miracle into a movement.

🐾 If you've ever witnessed or experienced the healing power of an animal, this episode is for you.

🎙️ Hosted by Robert Asencio — retired Police Captain, former Florida State Representative, US Army Veteran.

👩‍🔬 Co-hosted by Laura Spearium, Founder of Connecting Minds Miami.

🎖️ Guest: Allen Parton — Gulf War Veteran, TBI survivor, founder of Hounds for Heroes.

📌 Topics covered: veteran mental health • PTSD recovery • traumatic brain injury • service dog stories • military documentary • disability awareness • trauma recovery • Hounds for Heroes

🎧 Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | iHeart Radio

🔗 Learn more about Hounds for Heroes:

https://www.houndsforheroes.com/about-us/our-history

Chapters:

00:00 The Story That Changed Everything

01:20 Welcome: Hosts & Guest Introduction

02:15 27 Years in the Royal Navy — Then the Gulf War

03:17 The Injury: Losing Memory, Family & All Emotion

04:00 Rock Bottom: Two Suicide Attempts & Why He Survived04:49 The Chance Encounter: Meeting Endal

07:11 The Moment Alan Smiled for the First Time

07:23 Living with TBI: Groundhog Day, Every Day

09:23 How a Dog Taught a Man to Speak Again

11:07 "I Don't Know When Alan Ended and Endal Started"

12:07 Dogs on the Tarmac: Marines Crying Into a Dog's Neck

13:30 Endal Saves Allen’s Life: The Hit-and-Run Incident

14:03 The Victoria Cross: World's Most Decorated Dog

15:57 Remarried — With the Queen's Permission, Endal as Best Man

17:44 Endal Jr. & Endal III: The Legacy Continues

18:23 Hounds for Heroes: Turning His Miracle Into a Movement

20:19 The Power of Empathy Over Sympathy

21:19 Allen’s Message to Every Veteran Watching

22:10 Closing & Where to Find Vets and Badges

Resources:

About Allen Parton's story:

"The Secret Life of Dogs" Clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8UfB02Uudg

The Dog That Saved Our Marriage - Part 1 Of 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ8Anc5LRcc

Part 2 of 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYyyr2G2H4o&t=1s

Part 3 of 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZD5fpX9k94&t=1s

Part 4 of 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SmfED0bp0c&t=2s

Vets and Badges Podcast is an initiative of HEALING - a non-profit created to support veterans, first responder and community stakeholders.

For more visit:

https://www.kbcf.org/programs/healing-corp/

Info@VetsAndBadges.com

https://www.VetsAndBadges.com

VAB - 2026

What do police officers do after responding to a mass shooting? Sometimes... they go get dinner. And that's not callousness. That's survival.

Certified mental health Clinician, City of Sweetwater Police Officer Milton Montes De Oca — retired Miami PD Commander, amd U.S. Army veteran — sits down with Robert Asencio to pull back the curtain on the "alpha male culture" inside law enforcement and the military, and what happens to the human brain when it's forced to normalize the abnormal — day after day, call after call.

In this episode:

🔹 Why first responders use dark humor — and what it's really hiding

🔹 How chronic trauma rewires the brain (neuroplasticity & hypervigilance explained)

🔹 The real cost of "alpha male culture" on officer health and home life

🔹 Why identity crisis after retirement can be more dangerous than the job itself

🔹 Commander Montes de Oca's own journey through trauma, counseling, and cathartic breakthrough

🔹 How to find the RIGHT therapist if you're in law enforcement or the military

If you've ever wondered why cops seem "numb" to things that would shatter a civilian — this is the episode that explains it. And more importantly, what to do about it.

⚠️ "We're not superhuman. We're just human beings asked to do superhuman things." — Cmdr. Milton Montes de Oca

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with veterans, first responders, and the experts who understand them.

Resources:

Veterans Crisis Line: 988, Press 1

First Responder Support Network:

https://www.firehouse.com/mental-health

Safe Call Now (First Responders): 1-206-459-3020

📌 CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Normalizing the Abnormal: Coping Mechanisms in Law Enforcement

05:47 - The Impact of Trauma on Mental Health

11:59 - Identity Crisis: The Transition from Officer to Civilian

18:03 - Understanding PTSD and Its Symptoms

23:59 - The Importance of Seeking Help and Therapy

30:03 - Finding the Right Clinician: A Guide for First Responders

#VeteranMentalHealth #FirstResponderMentalHealth #PolicePTSD #MilitaryPTSD #LawEnforcement #VetsAndBadges #FirstResponders #PTSD #MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness

About Vets And Badges Host:

Robert Asencio is a retired police Captain, former Florida State Representative, US Army Veteran who served as a member of the Special Operations community with over 34 years of public service experience.

Vets and Badges Podcast is an initiative of HEALING - a non-profit created to support veterans, first responder and community stakeholders.

For more visit:

https://www.kbcf.org/programs/healing-corp/

Info@VetsAndBadges.com

www.VetsAndBadges.com

VAB - 2026

He survived an IED in Fallujah, served on the National Security Council, and told the truth to Congress. Then the President ended his career. - Followed by President Trump's impeachment.

This is the true story of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman — one of the most decorated, most scrutinized, and most misunderstood veterans in modern American history.

What happens when a soldier's greatest battle isn't on a battlefield — it's in a hearing room on Capitol Hill?

LTC Alexander Vindman served 21 years in the United States Army. He earned a Purple Heart in the Iraq War after his patrol was struck by an IED in 2004. He survived. He kept serving. He rose to become Director of European Affairs on the National Security Council — one of the most trusted positions in American government.

Then came the Ukraine call.

When President Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate a political rival, Vindman was on that call. He did what every soldier is trained to do — he reported it through the proper chain of command. He testified before Congress under oath. He told the truth.

Within days, he was escorted out of the White House. His promotion to Colonel — already approved — was blocked. His 21-year military career was over.

In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Robert Asencio sits down with LTC Vindman to hear the full story — from his family's escape from the Soviet Union as Jewish refugees in 1979, to his time in combat in the Middle East, to the moment he made the decision that would define his legacy.

"Do the right thing and damn the consequences."

This is a story about military sacrifice, moral courage, what it truly means to serve your country when the cost is everything, and resilience to charge forward.

Chapters:

00:00 - A Journey of Service and Sacrifice

10:01 - From Refugees to Warriors: The Immigrant Experience

19:45 - Military Life: Lessons from Combat

29:52 - Navigating Conflict and Ethics in National Security

About LTC Alexander Vindman:

Alexander Vindman is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, Purple Heart recipient, and Iraq War veteran. He served as Director of European Affairs for the National Security Council from 2018–2020. His testimony during the first impeachment of President Donald Trump made him a central figure in one of the most consequential moments in modern American political history.

About Your Host:

Robert Asencio is a retired Police Captain, former Florida State Representative, and U.S. Army Veteran with over 34 years of combined service. On Vets and Badges, he sits down with veterans, first responders, and leaders to bring you the real stories behind the uniform.

🎖️ Subscribe for more veteran stories, military sacrifice, and real conversations with those who served:

https://www.youtube.com/@VetsAndBadges-fe7it

🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

📲 Follow Vets and Badges:

https://vetsandbadges.com/

Vets and Badges Podcast is an initiative of HEALING - a non-profit created to support veterans, first responder and community stakeholders.

For more visit:

https://www.kbcf.org/programs/healing-corp/

Info@VetsAndBadges.com

https://www.VetsAndBadges.com

VAB - 2026

A heartfelt interview with Arthur Frederick Snow about his son U.S. Army SGT. Andrew Snow's military service, struggles with PTSD, and the healing journey through innovative treatments and community support.

Our speaker shares a poignant veteran story, reflecting on the profound impact of military deployment to war and the changes observed in a loved one after serving. This account highlights the long-lasting effects of events like September 11 on service members and their families. It underscores the critical importance of addressing veteran mental health.

Andrew survived Ramadi. He came home a different man. And his father watched it all — the PTSD, the TBI, the moral injury, the years of fighting a war no one could see.

This is Arthur Snow's story. A Gold Star father. A witness. And a voice for every family that never got the answers they deserved.

In this episode of Vets and Badges, host Robert Asencio — retired Police Captain and Army veteran — sits down with Arthur Frederick Snow, whose son Andrew served in Ramadi, Iraq, and came home carrying wounds that couldn't be seen on any X-ray. Arthur shares the brutal reality of loving a combat veteran through PTSD, traumatic brain injury, moral injury, and addiction — and what it means to lose a son not on the battlefield, but to the war that followed him home.

This conversation is about more than grief. It's about the veteran mental health crisis hiding in plain sight, the failure of systems meant to protect our warriors, and the courage it takes for a family to speak the truth — even when it hurts.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction to Andrew Snow's Military Service

01:53 - Challenges of Returning Home and Mental Injuries

03:46 - The Struggles with PTSD and Suicide Attempts

06:11 - Innovative Treatments: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

07:01 - Andre's Faith and Healing Trips to Israel

08:00 - Honoring Andrew at Arlington and Community Support

08:53 - Reflections on Service, Sacrifice, and Healing

Resources for Veterans & Families:

🆘 Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1

🔗 The 22 Project: https://support22project.org/

🎖️ Vets and Badges — Real Stories. Real Heroes. Real Science.

New episodes every week.

🔔 Click the Subscribe button so you never miss a story.

📩 Share this episode with a veteran family who needs to hear it.

📲 Follow @VetsAndBadges:

🌐 Spotify

📘 Facebook

📸 Instagram

🎙️ https://www.VetsAndBadges.com

Vets and Badges Podcast is an initiative of HEALING - a non-profit created to support veterans, first responder and community stakeholders.

For more visit:

https://www.kbcf.org/programs/healing-corp/

VAB - 2026

⚠️ This episode discusses war, combat PTSD and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You are not alone.

Anwar Aalam shares a personal account of a difficult period, including a DUI and a cliff incident, which he interprets as subconscious self harm. He discusses feeling suicidal and how this period impacted his mother, highlighting the deep connection between personal struggles and family. This raw reflection offers insight into the complex psychology of coping with mental health challenges.

Chapters:

00:00 - From War to Peace: Anwar Aalam's Journey

06:01- Facing the Aftermath: Transitioning from Combat to Civilian Life

11:57 -Healing and Hope: Overcoming PTSD and Finding Purpose

The story of a healing journey:

He survived two combat deployments — Afghanistan and Iraq. He fought in the "2nd Battle of Ramadi" with the U.S. Army's legendary 37th Armored (tank) Regiment (AR) -The Bandits' Thunder Platoon. But the war that almost killed him started after he came home.

Anwar Aalam returned from battle carrying wounds no one could see — panic attacks that left him gasping, nights with no sleep, reckless choices he couldn't explain. He didn't call it PTSD. He didn't know what to call it. He just knew something was wrong — and that he was running out of time to fix it.

In this episode, Anwar sits down with Robert Asencio to tell the story he almost didn't survive — and the faith, therapy, and brotherhood that brought him back.

What you will hear:

-How Anwar went from Marine recruit to 101st Airborne and 1-37th AR combat veteran

-What PTSD actually felt like — before he had a name for it/p>

-The moment he realized he was subconsciously trying to end his life

-How one Air Force friend changed the trajectory of his recovery

-Why he stopped letting medication be a crutch — and what he did instead

-The role of faith, accountability, and therapy in rebuilding after war

-His message to every veteran still fighting invisible battles

"Every adversity has a seed equal to or greater benefit — if you look for it."

— Ammar Alam, U.S. Army Combat Veteran

About Anwar Aalam:

Anwar is a combat veteran who served with the 101st Airborne Division and 37th AR, deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq before joining Thunder Platoon in Germany for a 15-month tour in Ramadi during the "2nd Battle of Ramadi." After being med boarded from service, he fought his hardest battle at home — and won. Today, his mission is to be a blessing to others walking that same road.

🎙️ Vets And Badges is hosted by Robert Asencio — retired Police Captain, Army veteran, and former Florida State Representative.

Real Stories. Real Heroes. Real Science.

🔗 Resources:

📞 Veterans Crisis Line: Call or text 988, then press 1

💻 veteranscrisisline.net

📲 Follow @VetsAndBadges:

🌐 Spotify

📘 Facebook

📸 Instagram

🎙️https://CommunityNewspapers.com

🎙️https://www.VetsAndBadges.com

Vets and Badges Podcast is an initiative of HEALING - a non-profit created to support veterans, first responder and community stakeholders.

For more visit:

https://www.kbcf.org/programs/healing-corp/

VAB - 2026

On Vets And Badges, Judge Steve Liefman is leading the fight to fix America's broken mental health court system -and he's calling on YOU to help. Contact your elected leaders today!

Judge Leifman shares his 30-year journey transforming mental health and criminal justice systems. Discover how innovative programs, legal insights, and community efforts are reducing recidivism, saving costs, and improving lives.

Chapters:

00:00 - Judge Leifman's Journey into Mental Health and Justice

02:26 - The State of Mental Health Treatment in the US in the 20th Century

04:18 - Inhumane Conditions in State Hospitals and Deinstitutionalization

06:15 - The Irony of Deinstitutionalization and Its Consequences

08:41 - Legal Challenges and the Florida Supreme Court Ruling

10:09 - The Case of the Psychotic Man and System Failures

15:02 - Miami's Community Mental Health Summit and System Mapping

16:50 - Creating a New Approach: Pre- and Post-Arrest Diversion

18:12 - Results of the Miami Model: Cost Savings and Reduced Arrests

19:11 - Addressing Police PTSD and Improving Public Safety

20:55 - The Need for Specialized Facilities for Acute Mental Illness

22:22 - Identifying the Highest-Need Individuals and Costly Cycles

24:03 - Building a Comprehensive Facility for Recovery and Reintegration

25:56 - Economic Impact: Cost Savings and Medicaid Opportunities

27:38 - Challenges and Future Steps for Miami's Mental Health Initiative

29:21 - Future of Miami as a Model for Mental Health and Justice Reform

Vets And Badges Host:

Robert Asencio is a retired police Captain, former Florida State Representative, US Army Veteran who served as a member of the Special Operations community with over 34 years of public service experience.

Vets and Badges Podcast is an initiative of HEALING - a non-profit created to support veterans, first responder and community stakeholders.

For more visit:

https://www.kbcf.org/programs/healing-corp/

Info@VetsAndBadges.com

www.VetsAndBadges.com

VAB - 2026